Most of us have been in an airport and heard the announcement over the loud speaker; “If you see something, say something.” The airport has security personnel; however, their agents cannot be everywhere at once. They collectively rely on travelers passing through the airport to be their eyes and ears in places agents cannot be. In this way, as an airport traveler, you are a “sensor” watching for, detecting, and alerting on suspicious behavior such as unoccupied luggage.

What does this have to do with information security? Just as passengers can help prevent an incident in the airport by reporting suspicious activity, employees can help prevent a data breach by reporting suspicious email. The key to unlocking this valuable source of threat intelligence is to simplify the reporting process for employees, and to measure the results of your program to prioritize reports from savvy users.